Africa report
Darfur: in Kreinik, a precarious calm after the massacre [2/3]
Audio 02:30
Amani Mohamad stands in front of the door of a Kreinik classroom where she took refuge at the time of the attack, April 24, 2022. © Eliott Brachet / RFI
By: Eliott Brachet Follow
3 mins
At dawn on Sunday April 24, in the middle of Ramadan, swarms of motorcycles, pick-ups, men on horseback or camels attacked the small town of Kreinik, not far from the Chadian border.
A thousand militiamen massacred more than 179 people, including 22 children and 12 women.
Sparing neither the mosque, nor the schools, the police station or the hospital.
Two months later, the inhabitants still live in fear.
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From our special correspondent in El-Geneina,
As the bullets whistled through the village, Salwa Hassan took refuge in a classroom with other women and children.
"
We were sitting inside, they fired through the window
," she recalls.
“
My sister was shot in the back, she died instantly.
His body fell on me.
We stayed hidden under the corpses from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
My sister left behind 3 children, one 8 months old, the other 2 years old, and a last one 5 years old.
What are we going to do with all these orphans?
We rely on God.
They killed everyone
,” said Salwa Hassan, carried away by emotion.
According to numerous witnesses, the Rapid Support Forces, paramilitary units of General Hemetti, were involved in these attacks.
The day before and the day of the assault, a Sudanese army plane was patrolling the sky.
The village was then surrounded, to the north, south and west by camps of militiamen from all over the region.
► To read also: Darfur: tensions in El-Geneina, which has become a huge camp for displaced people
A deceptive calm
At the edge of the village, Hatim Ali Othman, a chemistry teacher stands in front of a mass grave.
"
The authorities knew perfectly well that Kreinik was going to be attacked
," he said.
“
Contrary to what is said, it is not a tribal problem when official forces are involved in the killing of citizens.
They were murdered for their land.
They are dispossessed of their plots and moved by force so that settlers can get their hands on this region.
It's not new, we've been living it since 2003
, ”he adds.
Two months after the massacre, a deceptive calm reigns in the village.
Salim Abdallah, a peasant, looks fearfully at the horizon.
“
Nobody leaves the city.
If we move away from 200 meters, we can be shot
,” warns Salim Abdallah.
“
The day before yesterday, cattle were stolen here.
Three days ago, people went to look for fodder, they were threatened.
The militias are still there.
A man died on this hill.
We are surrounded!
Tonight we fall asleep and we don't know if we'll wake up alive
.
»
Residents can only leave Kreinik under armed escort.
Twice a week, convoys head for El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
In the region, insecurity is permanent.
In one year, nearly 500,000 people were forced to abandon their land.
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